• Coronavirus: Italy-wide sporting suspension leaves Serie A title race in chaos

    With all sporting activity in Italy shelved until April 3 at the earliest, Serie A has been left in chaos with Euro 2020 on the horizon.
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    All sporting activity in Italy has been suspended until April 3 by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) due to the coronavirus spread, with football set to be the most-impacted sport.

    The CONI announcement on Monday confirmed a suspension, subject to government ratification, that many had expected.

    Serie A and the Coppa Italia had already been heavily affected by postponements and matches being played behind closed doors, with Sunday’s Derby d’Italia played in front of an eerily empty stadium.

    A government decree had already confirmed there were to be no spectators at any sporting events until April 3, but the latest announcement followed a significant increase in coronavirus cases, with 7,375 Italians having been infected.

    Many wider sporting events in Italy had already been postponed, but the suspension is arguably set to have the biggest knock-on effect in football, as it throws the Serie A title race – and relegation tussle – into chaos due to an ever-growing fixture pile-up.

    Following Monday’s news, here are the biggest clubs’ Serie A and Coppa Italia matches set to be affected:

    Juventus:

    Bologna v Juventus, March 13

    Juventus v Lecce, March 21

    Juventus v Milan (Coppa Italia semi-final second leg), TBC

    Lazio:

    Atalanta v Lazio, March 15

    Lazio v Fiorentina, March 20

    Inter:

    Inter v Sassuolo, March 15

    Parma v Inter, March 22

    Napoli v Inter (Coppa Italia semi-final second leg), TBC

    Milan:

    Lecce v Milan, March 15

    Milan v Roma, March 22

    Juventus v Milan (Coppa Italia semi-final second leg), TBC

    With no matches set to take place until April 3, a deadline that could feasibly be pushed back even further, teams will resume the Serie A season with between 12 and 14 matches still to play.

    With Euro 2020 set to begin on June 12, it leaves just 70 days between the two key dates, though facilities will have to be handed over to UEFA well before the tournament’s kick-off.

    If Champions League and Europa League matches continue to go ahead as planned, some Italian teams could have many as 20 matches across all competitions to cram into their schedules.

    Juventus lead the way in Serie A on 63 points, and look set to be pushed the distance by Lazio. The Rome-based club are just a point shy, while Inter have fallen adrift of the top by nine.

    Among the wider sporting events previously postponed through March and early April were: 

    CYCLING

    Tirreno-Adriatico, March 11-17

    Milan-San Remo, March 21

    Giro di Sicilia, April 1-4

    SKIING

    Alpine Skiing World Cup finals, March 18-22

    RUGBY UNION

    Italy v England, March 14

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